encyclopediafandomcom-20200222-history
Sound Affects
| Length = 35:18 | Label = Polydor | Producer = | Last album = Setting Sons (1979) | This album = Sound Affects (1980) | Next album = The Gift (1982) | }} Sound Affects is the fifth studio album by British rock band The Jam. The cover art is a pastiche of the artwork used on various Sound Effects records produced by the BBC during the 1970s. It is their only album co-produced by the band, and contains the only album track co-written by the entire band, "Music for the Last Couple". The album was released on 28 November 1980. Paul Weller is known to have opined Sound Affects as the best album The Jam released throughout their career; freely admitting the Beatles' Revolver had been a major influence upon much of the material upon the album. Influences Musical influences noted include post-punk groups such as Wire, Gang of Four, and Joy Division and, particularly evident in Rick Buckler's drumming, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall album. Frontman Paul Weller said at the time that he considered the album a cross between Off the Wall and Revolver. In BBC Radio 6 Music's documentary The Jam: Made in Britain, Weller cited it as his favourite Jam album. Singles The album features the group's second UK number one single, "Start!", built around an almost exact copy of the bassline and a homage to the guitar solo from the Beatles' "Taxman", the first track on Revolver. Polydor pushed for "Pretty Green" to be the first single released, but Weller insisted on "Start!". This involved consulting a few of the band's friends as to what they thought the best release would be. Weller had Polydor A&R man Dennis Munday ask a small peer group of his friends who had been present throughout the recording sessions at the Town House and prior demo recordings at Polydor studios. Given the choice, they chose "Start!" as the best single release and the decision was made to release it. The decision was vindicated when "Start!" topped the British singles charts in its third week after entering at number 3. "Pretty Green" includes a funk bassline and rhythm with melodic guitar breaks and psychedelic sound effects. "That's Entertainment" is an acoustic ballad. "Boy About Town" and "Dream Time" include horns. Reception | rev2 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music | rev2Score = | rev3 = Mojo | rev3Score = | rev4 = Q | rev4Score = | rev5 = Record Collector | rev5Score = | rev6 = Rolling Stone | rev6Score = | rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | rev7Score = | rev8 = Spin | rev8score = | rev9 = Spin Alternative Record Guide | rev9Score = 10/10 | rev10 = Uncut | rev10Score = }} In 2006, ''Q'' magazine placed the album at No. 15 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".Q'' August 2006, Issue 241, list NME ranked the album No. 487 on their list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Chart performance ''Sound Affects spent 19 weeks on the UK album charts, rising to No. 2 in late 1980. In the U.S., the album spent 11 weeks on the Billboard 200 album charts and reached its peak position of No. 72 in February 1981. The 2010 rerelease also charted in the UK, reaching No. 63 in November of that year. Track listing *All tracks written by Paul Weller except as noted. ;Side one # "Pretty Green" – 2:37 # "Monday" – 3:02 # "But I'm Different Now" – 1:52 # "Set the House Ablaze" – 5:03 # "Start!" – 2:33 # "That's Entertainment" – 3:38 ;Side two # "Dream Time" – 3:54 # "Man in the Corner Shop" – 3:12 # "Music for the Last Couple" (Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller) – 3:45 # "Boy About Town" – 2:00 # "Scrape Away" – 3:59 *"Start!" was the first track on Side one of the US issue. This issue also included the "Going Underground/"Dreams of Children" 7". 2010 2 CD Deluxe Edition Sound Affects was re-issued on 8 November 2010 as a 2 CD Deluxe Edition to celebrate its 30th Anniversary. ;CD1 – the original LP. ;CD 2 – Demos, B-sides, alternate versions All songs by Paul Weller except where stated # "Start!" (Single version) – The Jam, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven # "Liza Radley" – The Jam, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven # "The Dreams of Children" – The Jam, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven # "That's Entertainment" (alternate) – Peter Wilson, The Jam, Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller # "Pretty Green" (demo) – The Jam ♠ # "Pop Art Poem" – Peter Wilson, The Jam # "Rain" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam, Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller # "Boy About Town" (demo) – The Jam ♠ # "Dream Time" (demo) – Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller, The Jam, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven # "Dead End Street" (Ray Davies) (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam, Rick Buckler, Bruce Foxton, Paul Weller # "But I'm Different Now" (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam # "Scrapeaway" (instrumental) – The Jam ♠ # "Start!" (demo) – The Jam # "Liza Radley" (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam # "And Your Bird Can Sing" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) (demo) - Peter Wilson, The Jam # "Monday" (alternate) – The Jam ♠ # "Get Yourself Together" (Ronnie Lane, Steve Marriott) (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam # "Set The House Ablaze" (alternate 'dub' ending) – The Jam ♠ # "Boy About Town" (alternate) – Peter Wilson, The Jam, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven # "No One in the World" (demo) – Peter Wilson, The Jam # "Instrumental" (demo) – The Jam ♠ # "Waterloo Sunset" (Ray Davies) (demo) – The Jam ♠ Note ♠ – Tracks previously unreleased Personnel ;The Jam *Paul Weller *Bruce Foxton *Rick Buckler ;Technical *Alan Douglas - Engineer *George Chambers - Assistant Engineer *Bill Smith, The Jam - sleeve design *Andrew Rosen, Martyn Goddard - front cover photography References External links * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pmw6/ BBC music review] of Sound Affects Category:1980 albums Category:Polydor Records albums Category:The Jam albums Category:Universal Deluxe Editions